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Ecovillages
An ecovillage is a traditional or intentional community that aims to become more socially, culturally, economically and/or environmentally sustainable. An ecovillage strives to have the least possible negative impact on the natural environment through the intentional physical design and behavioural choices of its inhabitants. It is consciously designed through locally owned, participatory processes to regenerate and restore its social and natural environments. Most range from a population of 50 to 250 individuals, although some are smaller, and traditional ecovillages are often much larger. Larger ecovillages often exist as networks of smaller sub-communities. Some ecovillages have grown through like-minded individuals, families, or other small groups—who are not members, at least at the outset—settling on the ecovillage's periphery and participating '' de facto'' in the community. There are currently more than 10,000 ecovillages around the world. Ecovillagers are united b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Findhorn Ecovillage
Findhorn Ecovillage, known in the past as the Findhorn Community, and also referred to as Ecovillage Findhorn, is an experimental and utopian community project based at The Park, in Moray, Scotland, near the village of Findhorn focused on ecological solutions to the world's crises and reconnecting humans to nature and spirituality. It has recently been bought out (Nov 18th 2024) by its community residents, introducing full democracy for the first time, as the residents aim to regenerate the economy and the community after a series of shocks to its economy and facilities, caused by Brexit, Covid-19, arson, energy inflation and decades of an aging population and old leadership.Local relations between the Findhorn Foundation and the village of Findhorn have occasionally foundered over inconsiderate use of the word 'Findhorn' to mean either the former or the Ecovillage. See for example Walker (1994), Talk:Findhorn Foundation and also Findhorn (other). The project's main a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Robert Gilman
Robert C. Gilman (born 1945) is a thinker on sustainability who, along with his late wife Diane Gilman, has researched and written about ecovillages. The Gilmans’ work was important in giving definition to the ecovillage movement and shaping the direction of the Global Ecovillage Network. In 1991, the Gilmans co-authored ''Eco-Villages and Sustainable Communities'', a seminal study of ecovillages for Gaia Trust. Also in 1991, Gilman, who was publisher of the magazine ''In Context'', wrote an article entitled “The Eco-village Challenge” that set out a definition of an ecovillage as a: *human-scale *full-featured settlement *in which human activities are harmlessly integrated into the natural world *in a way that is supportive of healthy human development and can be successfully continued into the indefinite future This definition was to become the standard definition on which the ecovillage movement was founded and is still considered by many to be the most authoritative. F ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Global Ecovillage Network
The Global Ecovillage Network (GEN) is a global association of people and communities (ecovillages) dedicated to living " sustainable plus" lives by restoring the land and adding more to the environment than is taken. Network members share ideas and information, transfer technologies and develop cultural and educational exchanges. History Hildur and Ross Jackson from Denmark established the Gaia Trust, a charitable foundation, in 1991. Gaia funded a study by Robert Gilman and Diane Gilman of sustainable communities around the world. The report, ''Ecovillages and Sustainable Communities'', was released in 1991. The report found that although there were many interesting ecovillage projects, the full-scale ideal ecovillage did not yet exist. Collectively, however, the various projects described a vision of a different culture and lifestyle that could be further developed. In 1991 the Gaia Trust convened a meeting in Denmark of representatives of eco-communities to discuss stra ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Low-impact Development (UK)
Low-impact development (LID) has been defined as "development which through its low negative environmental impact either enhances or does not significantly diminish environmental quality". The interplay between would-be developers and the UK planning authorities since the 1980s has led to a diversity of unique, locally adapted developments, often making use of natural, local and reclaimed materials in delivering highly affordable, low or zero carbon housing. These LIDs often strive to be self-sufficient in terms of waste management, energy, water and other needs. There are numerous examples of LIDs throughout the UK, and local and national authorities have come to recognise the need for the concept to be incorporated into planning strategies. Definition Low-impact development (LID), in the UK sense of the term, was described by Simon Fairlie, a former editor of The Ecologist magazine, in 1996 as: "development that through its low impact either enhances or does not significan ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Intentional Community
An intentional community is a voluntary residential community designed to foster a high degree of group cohesiveness, social cohesion and teamwork. Such communities typically promote shared values or beliefs, or pursue a common vision, which may be political, religious, Utopia, utopian or Spirituality, spiritual, or are simply focused on the practical benefits of cooperation and mutual support. While some groups emphasise shared Ideology, ideologies, others are centred on enhancing social connections, sharing resources, and creating meaningful relationships. Although intentional communities are sometimes described as alternative lifestyles or social experiments, some see them as a natural response to the isolation and fragmentation of modern housing, offering a return to the social bonds and collaborative spirit found in traditional village life. List of intentional communities, The multitude of intentional communities includes collective households, cohousing communities ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Earthaven Ecovillage
Earthaven is an ecovillage in Western North Carolina, about 50 minutes from Asheville. Earthaven Ecovillage is an intentional community that was founded in 1994 on 329 forested, mountainous acres.What is Earthaven Earthaven Ecovillage As of 2025, it has about 75 adult residents and 25 children.Earthaven Ecovillage /ref>Ecological living at Earthaven includes -based site plans, , |
Diane Gilman (environmentalist)
Diane Gilman (1945 – 1998) was an American painter, potter, writer and co-founder of the Context Institute. She played a key role in the initial development and coordination of the Global Ecovillage Network, a support network for model communities to show how to live more sustainably on the planet, in urban, rural, developed and less developed situations. In 1991, she and her husband, Robert Gilman co-wrote ''Eco-Villages and Sustainable Communities'', a seminal study of ecovillages for Gaia Trust. Biography Born 1945, Gilman attended the University of California at Santa Barbara, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Art. A professional watercolor painter and potter, she founded the Context Institute with her husband, Robert in 1979. She was Associate Publisher of ''In Context'' magazine from 1983–1995 and coordinated citizen diplomacy work with the USSR for the Institute. She and Robert Gilman co-founded the Foundation for Russian/American Economic Cooperation, in Seatt ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cohousing
Cohousing is an intentional, self-governing, cooperative community where residents live in private homes often clustered around shared space. The term originated in Denmark in the late 1960s. Families live in attached or single-family homes with traditional amenities, usually including a private kitchenette. As part of the communal orientation, shared spaces typically feature a common house, which may include a large kitchen and dining area, laundry, and recreational spaces. Walkways, open space, parking, playgrounds and gardens are common examples of shared outdoor spaces designed to promote social interactions. Neighbors also often share resources like tools, babysitting and creative skills. Neighbors collaboratively plan and manage community activities and shared spaces while maintaining their own income and private lives. The legal structure is typically a homeowner association or housing cooperative, and some use community land trusts. To promote the common good, coh ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ten Thousand Villages
Ten Thousand Villages is a nonprofit, fair trade organization that markets handcrafted products made by artisans from more than 120 artisan groups in more than 35 countries.https://suiteengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/CSM-TTV-Client-Sucess-Story.pdf One of the world's largest and oldest fair trade organizations, Ten Thousand Villages attempts to allow consumers to buy gifts, accessories, and home décor from around the world while the artisans receive a fair price for their work. Ten Thousand Villages is a founding member of the World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO) and a certified member of the Fair Trade Federation (FTF). History Edna Ruth Byler founded the organization after witnessing extreme poverty during a trip to Puerto Rico in 1946. Byler, with the help of the Mennonite Central Committee, began selling handcrafted products from the boot of her car, eventually expanding to a storefront called Self Help Crafts in 1958. She wanted to promote sustainable economic o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
North Carolina
North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the southwest, and Tennessee to the west. The state is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 28th-largest and List of U.S. states and territories by population, 9th-most populous of the List of states and territories of the United States, United States. Along with South Carolina, it makes up the Carolinas region of the East Coast of the United States, East Coast. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the state had a population of 10,439,388. Raleigh, North Carolina, Raleigh is the state's List of capitals in the United States, capital and Charlotte, North Carolina, Charlotte is its List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous and one of the fastest growing cities in the United States. The Charl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Blue Ridge Mountains
The Blue Ridge Mountains are a Physiographic regions of the United States, physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Highlands range. The mountain range is located in the Eastern United States and extends 550 miles southwest from southern Pennsylvania through Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. The province consists of northern and southern physiographic regions, which divide near the Roanoke River gap. To the west of the Blue Ridge, between it and the bulk of the Appalachians, lies the Great Appalachian Valley, bordered on the west by the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians, Ridge and Valley province of the Appalachian range. The Blue Ridge Mountains are known for having a bluish color when seen from a distance. Trees put the "blue" in Blue Ridge, from the isoprene released into the atmosphere. This contributes to the characteristic haze on the mountains and their perceived color. Within the Blue Ridg ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Asheville, North Carolina
Asheville ( ) is a city in Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. Located at the confluence of the French Broad River, French Broad and Swannanoa River, Swannanoa rivers, it is the county seat of Buncombe County. It is the most populous city in Western North Carolina and the state's List of municipalities in North Carolina, 11th-most-populous city with a population of 94,589 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The four-county Asheville metropolitan area has an estimated 422,000 residents. History Origins Before the arrival of the European colonization of the Americas, European Colonists, the land where Asheville now exists lay within the boundaries of the Cherokee Nation, which had homelands in modern Western North Carolina, western North and South Carolina, southeastern Tennessee, and northeastern Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. A town at the site of the river confluence was recorded as ''Guaxule'' by Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto during his 1540 expedi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
